On Monday, the Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust (GSTFT) announced a partnership with Wing, the drone delivery arm of Google parent Alphabet, and Apian, the developer of an application programming interface (API) for medical logistics founded by former NHS doctors, to move blood between two hospitals in less than two minutes. The U.K.’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has approved an airspace corridor between the hospitals and will regulate the trial.

The six-month program, expected to begin in the fall, will serve Guy’s Hospital and St Thomas’ Hospital in central London. According to GSTFT, moving samples between the sites can take more than half an hour by van or bike courier. But per a study in the British Journal of Haematology, transporting blood by drone is just as safe as doing so by ground vehicle.

“The drone pilot combines two of our key priorities—providing the best possible patient care and improving sustainability,” said professor Ian Abbs, CEO of GSTFT.

Howard Dawber, the deputy mayor of London for business and growth, also praised the service.

Wing and Apian have been delivering surgical tools and other medical supplies in Dublin since July. In addition to those Ireland services, Apian has delivered chemotherapy treatment to cancer patients for the Isle of Wight NHS Trust and is working with Zipline to expand a prior trial for the Northumbria Trust.

In London, Wing drones will transport blood samples taken from patients awaiting surgery who are at risk of complications due to bleeding disorders. The aircraft are expected to slash delivery times, allowing NHS technicians to more quickly analyze the sample and determine if the procedure is safe.

The fully electric aircraft—which have completed more than 400,000 deliveries worldwide to date—also figure to reduce emissions while alleviating some ground traffic.

“Drones can increase the responsiveness and resilience of healthcare logistics, allowing clinicians to be more productive and patients to get the care they need sooner,” said Dr. Hammad Jeilani, co-founder of Apian.

Wing drones will transfer samples on demand, flying between the two hospital rooftops at over 60 mph and 200 feet in the air—high enough, Wing says, that their buzzing will blend into the city’s soundscape. The aircraft can tolerate moderate rain and wind. Per Apian, they will carry about 2.2 pounds, so it appears the service will not use Wing’s newer model, which can carry up to 5 pounds.

The drones are largely automated and will follow predetermined routes overseen by a remote pilot, similar to Wing’s U.S. service. Flights will take place during daytime hours from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. local time, Monday through Friday, with no more than 10 trips per day.

The drones are equipped with low-resolution cameras, but according to Wing, no live feed is available, even for its own pilots.

According to Apian, the trial could expand to fly a wider range of “pathology items, medicines and supplies.” In addition to Guy’s and St Thomas’, GSTFT operates three other main hospitals, which could be candidates for an expansion.

“This is one of the many reasons that we are working with companies through our sandbox trials programme, to enable the test and development of pioneering new aviation technology in the U.K.,” said Sophie O’Sullivan, director of the CAA’s Future of Flight program.

Drone delivery is being bolstered by U.K. leaders at the highest levels. The country’s Department for Transport, for example, in March released its Future of Flight Action Plan, a blueprint to make drone deliveries routine by 2027.

Part of that plan is the CAA’s Future Flight Challenge, a nearly $400 million initiative that funds a variety of drone delivery projects. The CAA has already authorized several trials under the program to study drones for inspections, emergency services, and policing. In August, the regulator selected six participants, including Amazon’s Prime Air, for an upcoming round of trials.

The U.K. government has also poured over $9 million into Project CAELUS, which uses drones to deliver medical supplies in Scotland, while the Royal Mail is exploring parcel delivery by drone.

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The company last week told Axios it is shuttering 18 Walmart delivery hubs in those cities to focus on operations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, which the retailer in January announced would expand to reach 1.8 million people.

According to the report, the decision will cost the jobs of 70 employees, or about 17 percent of DroneUp’s headcount.

“Layoffs are an unfortunate part of a business that is literally defining its own industry,” a DroneUp spokesperson told FLYING. “Like so many innovators before us, the decision to automate often leads to similar circumstances, but we acknowledge that this is a difficult time, especially for those with whom we’ve parted ways.”

The spokesperson declined to verify the number of sites that will close or how many employees will be affected.

After successfully trialing a drone delivery service near Walmart’s headquarters in Arkansas, DroneUp and the retailer expanded it to six states—Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Texas, Utah, and Virginia—and an estimated 4 million people.

Per Axios, cutting Phoenix, Salt Lake City, and Tampa will leave the partners with 15 hubs, most of which are in Dallas-Fort Worth. The retailer is also working with drone delivery providers Zipline and Wing, a subsidiary of Google parent Alphabet, in that region.

“We are excited about the momentum and positive customer response we’ve experienced around drone delivery,” a Walmart spokesperson told FLYING. “This service will continue to evolve as we learn more about customer preferences and drone capabilities. Our drone delivery program is still a pilot, and by focusing our efforts in Dallas-Fort Worth, we can learn more about the potential to scale this innovative delivery option for Walmart’s customers.”

According to DroneUp CEO Tom Walker, it costs the firm about $30 to deliver a package, making its service unfeasible in its current form. To address that issue, the company is honing in on Dallas-Fort Worth as a testing ground for its autonomous drone Ecosystem, unveiled in March.

The Ecosystem comprises a suite of ground, air, and software products wrapped into a single platform, including software operating systems, automated ground infrastructure, and two next-generation drones.

The drones, which are designed to complete deliveries autonomously in as little as 30 minutes, fly between automated outdoor lockers and customers’ homes while producing about as much noise as a refrigerator at cruising altitude. Each is equipped with a special claw-like grabber that enables airdrops from as high as 120 feet.

Under this framework, DroneUp operators function like air traffic controllers, each assigned to monitor a swath of airspace. Retail associates, meanwhile, need only pack and load orders—the automated lockers and drones handle the rest.

“DroneUp remains committed to a strategy that supports our commercial partners and their customers,” a company spokesperson told FLYING. “The lessons we have learned in the last several years have informed a strategy to reshape the last mile of delivery with DroneUp’s Ecosystem platform that is economically feasible for sellers and scalable for buyers.”

The Ecosystem is designed to extend the range of the company’s operations, which were bolstered in January when the FAA approved it to fly its drones beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS) of the operator. DroneUp is one of a handful of firms with BVLOS permissions, which can be obtained only via FAA waiver or exemption.

Walmart, meanwhile, recently introduced a drone delivery integration on its digital app, allowing customers to order directly from their phone or computer. The retailer began rolling out the offering in June and will notify customers when they are eligible for delivery through the app. Aiding that initiative is partner Wing, which introduced a suite of application programming interfaces (APIs) that Walmart can use to add drone delivery directly to its e-commerce platform.

In Dallas-Fort Worth, Walmart and its partners’ operations got a lift when the FAA removed BVLOS restrictions for Zipline and Wing. The historic move, announced in July, allows the companies to manage their own airspace with FAA oversight and removes a requirement to station human observers along delivery routes.

With fewer human capital needs and greater freedom to fly BVLOS, the firms should be able to cut costs while expanding their services to more customers. The authorization may have played a role in DroneUp’s decision to focus on the region.

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Israeli company Flytrex on Friday announced the milestone, which it believes makes it the largest commercial provider of food drone delivery in the U.S. The firm said 70 percent of the households in its delivery areas—which comprise a handful of towns in North Carolina and Texas—have used the service to deliver items such as sandwiches, hot wings, and even ice cream.

“We are focused on bringing our customers the best experience—and that includes delivery that is convenient for their schedules and preferences,” said Scott Scherer, chief information officer of Jersey Mike’s Franchise Systems.

Zipline leads the commercial drone industry in deliveries with more than 1 million as of August, but the company primarily delivers medical items such as blood samples and vaccines. Similarly, Wing, the drone delivery arm of Google parent Alphabet, has completed 350,000 deliveries as of January, flying a combination of food and convenience items with partners such as DoorDash and Walmart. But it’s unclear what proportion of those are in the U.S., as the company also has a robust presence in Australia.

Flytrex, by contrast, is focused almost exclusively on food delivery in the U.S. The company’s self-flying drones, which are monitored by FAA-certified operators, can carry up to 5.5 pounds of cargo and fly at around 32 mph, covering a range of 5 miles round trip.

Average delivery time is less than five minutes, with the fastest order being completed in just two minutes. A delivery box is fastened to the drone and lowered to the ground with a tether, protecting delicate items such as eggs. Orders are delivered either to the customer’s house or a public pickup spot.

The FAA in 2021 approved Flytrex’s request to fly over people and deliver to customers’ backyards in North Carolina, allowing it to begin flying commercially. Later that year, around the same time Flytrex launched in Texas, the agency expanded the range of the company’s service to 1 nm, then doubled it in 2022. According to the firm, the second expansion allowed it to reach nearly 100,000 customers.

Last year, Flytrex operating partner Causey Aviation Unmanned became just the fifth company—joining Zipline, Wing, Amazon Prime Air, and UPS Flight Forward—to earn FAA Part 135 permissions for drone delivery, which according to the regulator “is the only path for small drones to carry the property of another for compensation beyond visual line of sight.”

The key phrase there is beyond visual line of sight (or BVLOS as it is known in drone industry parlance), which denotes flights beyond the pilot’s field of view. The FAA has yet to finalize regulations on BVLOS operations, which has forced drone delivery providers to obtain waivers to add the permissions.

These exemptions typically expire after a couple of years. However, a Part 135 holder can have BVLOS permissions added to its certificate, as Zipline and Wing have done, rather than requesting temporary relief.

“Flytrex continuously innovates to overcome delivery challenges, ensuring our drones can handle anything from large and heavy family meals to bad weather and oddly shaped packages,” said Yariv Bash, CEO and cofounder of Flytrex.

According to Flytrex, french fries, chicken nuggets, turkey sandwiches, chicken sandwiches, and burrito bowls have been the company’s most popular restaurant orders, while bananas, limes, and ice cream reign supreme at grocery stores. About 36 percent of all grocery orders included some kind of fresh produce.

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On Thursday, Wing, the drone delivery arm of Google parent Alphabet, expanded its partnership with DoorDash to the U.S. following a yearlong trial in Australia. In 2022, the companies agreed to integrate their marketplaces, allowing Wing deliveries to be facilitated through the DoorDash platform. It was the first time a drone delivery provider made its service available on a third-party app.

Initially, the service will be based out of a single Wendy’s location in Christiansburg—Wing’s first U.S. commercial market—with plans to explore other U.S. cities later this year. Dallas-Fort Worth, where Wing operates drone delivery with partners such as Walmart, is a potential candidate.

DoorDash views automation as a way to tailor solutions around customer demand and improve platform efficiency. Its partnership with Wing was born out of DoorDash Labs, a robotics and automation arm established in 2021. With the subsidiary still in its infancy, Christiansburg may well be the tip of the iceberg for DoorDash and Wing.

“We are committed to advancing last-mile logistics by building a multi-modal delivery platform that serves all sides of our marketplace,” said Harrison Shih, senior director of DoorDash Labs. “We’re optimistic about the value drone delivery will bring to our platform as we work to offer more efficient, sustainable, and convenient delivery options for consumers.”

Wing, along with medical drone delivery provider Zipline, is one of two titans in the drone delivery industry, having completed more than 350,000 deliveries. The company has flown in Christiansburg since 2019, the same year it launched service in Logan, Australia, a suburb of Brisbane.

In 2022, DoorDash became a partner, agreeing to facilitate Wing deliveries in Logan on its platform. The partners would ultimately expand the service to three locations in Australia’s Queensland region, with more than 60 participating merchants.

“Expanding our partnership with DoorDash and launching in the U.S. is a direct result of the success we’ve seen from our initial collaboration in Australia, where Wing has served tens of thousands of customers via the DoorDash app for over a year now,” said Cosimo Leipold, head of partnerships at Wing.

In Christiansburg, customers with eligible addresses can visit the DoorDash website or app and select the Wendy’s location at 2355 N. Franklin Street. At checkout, they’ll have the option to select drone delivery alongside standard delivery and pickup.

Wendy’s employees will prepare and package orders, and Wing drones will complete deliveries straight to the customer’s doorstep. From order to delivery, the process typically completes within 30 minutes. According to Wing’s early testing data from Australia, its fastest delivery took just over seven minutes.

DoorDash in 2022 explained that the service is intended for small, short-range deliveries, such as Wendy’s takeout orders, which are likely to yield smaller tips. Drones will complement the company’s delivery drivers, who will handle larger orders.

FLYING got a firsthand look at Wing’s service in Dallas-Fort Worth in October. At a Walmart Supercenter in the Dallas suburb of Frisco, the company’s operation occupies a small portion of the store’s parking lot. Other stores can set up Wing hubs on roofs or in adjacent empty spaces.

The system is almost entirely automated, designed to integrate within partners’ existing systems and workflows. All store associates need to do is bring orders from the store to the parking lot.

Wing handles things from there. An automated flight planning and uncrewed traffic management system plans routes, accounting for factors like weather, time of day, and other objects in the airspace. Then a Wing order loader attaches the payload to the drone’s tether.

All on its own, the drone takes off, flies to its destination, lowers the tether, releases the order, and flies back to continue charging. In the air, the aircraft cruises at 65 mph (56 knots) at roughly 200 feet, capable of flying in light wind, moderate rain, or even snow.

All Wing drones flying in the U.S. are overseen by operators at two Remote Operation Centers in Texas and California. Like air traffic controllers, they monitor dots on a screen and step in when an accident could occur. The company’s software also determines which drones might be in need of repairs and grounds them autonomously.

Soon, Wing’s operation will require even fewer people. The company is preparing to roll out its AutoLoader technology, which would eliminate the need for order loaders. Similar to curbside delivery, store associates will simply place orders outside for the drone to pick up on its own.

Wing is also developing a new, larger delivery drone with double the payload of its current model. About 3 in 10 Wing deliveries require two or more drones, and the updated design is intended to streamline those orders. It will complement the company’s existing model rather than replace it.

Recently, the firm obtained an FAA grant for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights without visual observers in Dallas. Visual observers are required by the FAA for BVLOS flights unless the operator has a waiver. Wing instead will use ADS-B transponders and receivers, extending the delivery range it has with human observers along its routes.

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The organization on Monday tapped Frequentis Australasia—a regional arm of global communications provider Frequentis—to develop a digital air traffic management (ATM) system that could safely integrate millions of uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) into the nation’s airspace.

Airservices said the system—which will allow it to incorporate drones, air taxis, and other uncrewed aircraft alongside traditional models—“will be at the core of Australia’s UAS traffic management (UTM) ecosystem.”

Airservices selected Frequentis as a partner following a comprehensive process that included several other applicants. It said the company “has proven experience in the delivery of operational UTM systems around the world.”

Backing up that assertion is the fact that Frequentis technology is used by the FAA, NASA, and the European Space Agency (ESA). The company is also a key stakeholder in the Single European Sky, a European Commission initiative aiming to reform the continent’s ATC system through better integration of European airspace.

“Frequentis is the only company worldwide to have successfully delivered UTM solutions to multiple Air Navigation Service Providers,” said Martin Rampl, managing director of Frequentis Australia. “This strategic partnership with Airservices Australia represents another important milestone in our mission to support the Australian airspace ecosystem with safe, efficient, and compliant integration of drones.”

Frequentis has been tasked with creating a Flight Information Management System (FIMS), which will be operated by Airservices and linked to the organization’s existing ATM system.

The FIMS will allow Airservices to share flight information between ATC, traditional aircraft, and uncrewed airspace users. According to the plan, drones, electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxis, and other new designs could all be flown alongside traditional aircraft.

“Drones are the biggest growth area in aviation, and our partnership with Frequentis to develop a FIMS will enable us to integrate traditional and new airspace users into increasingly busy airspace,” said Jason Harfield, CEO of Airservices. “With Frequentis, we will develop a FIMS that meets the needs of Australian airspace users and ensures we can safely integrate millions of drone flights with other users.”

An Airservices analysis published last month predicted that commercial drone flights in Australia will surge from around 1.5 million in 2023 to more than 60 million by 2043, assuming battery technology and propulsion systems advance incrementally and there is a permissive regulatory environment.

That represents an average increase in drone traffic of 20 percent per year. According to Airservices, new technologies will be needed to weather the coming storm.

Per the report, drones in Australia complete about 120,000 deliveries of food and goods every year. The country is the largest market of Wing, the drone delivery arm of Google parent Alphabet, but many drones come from homegrown companies such as Swoop Aero and even the nation’s postal service. At the same time, more recreational flyers are taking to the skies as Australia develops drone regulations.

“Most companies based in Australia are looking to invest and grow their drone fleets by two to five times over the next five years alone,” the report forecast.

The exponential growth predicted by the report is expected to be driven largely by the transportation and logistics industries, which are forecast to account for 77 percent of the anticipated drone traffic increase.

The report further predicts that Australian farmers will make 500,000 drone flights annually to monitor crops, while police will complete 300,000 flights to support frontline personnel. Another 1.5 million deliveries are expected to be made to Australian households, and about 100,000 patients could be transported to hospitals using air ambulances, such as the Vertiia design from Australia’s AMSL Aero.

Electric air taxis will also be in the mix—those models are expected to make one million flights by 2043. Airservices said several providers are targeting Australian launches coinciding with the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Brisbane. Among them are AMSL and Boeing’s Wisk Aero.

The FAA has a similar plan, with launches expected to align with the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Before then, air taxis are expected to fly this summer at the 2024 Games in Paris.

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The drone delivery and logistics company announced Thursday that the regulator has approved it for flight beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS) of the operator, making it one of a handful of companies with a BVLOS waiver for medical deliveries.

“Securing BVLOS approval is a testament to our dedication to safety and innovation,” said DroneUp CEO Tom Walker. “We have some significant technologies coming out of stealth this year, which when combined with BVLOS, will unlock commercial scalability that the industry and our customers have been eagerly awaiting.”

For safety reasons, the FAA requires drone flights to be visually monitored by the operator. However, the agency occasionally awards waivers that enable BVLOS flights with certain restrictions, such as visual observers (VOs) stationed along the route. 

A handful of firms—including another medical drone delivery company, Zipline—advanced past that stage in September, receiving FAA approval to remove VOs as well. DroneUp’s Part 107 waiver requires one or more VOs to monitor for other aircraft in the airspace within 2 sm of the drone. But they won’t need to maintain a visual on the drone itself.

“Our ability to fly BVLOS propels us into the next level of using drone technology, undoubtedly enhancing the efficiency of medical deliveries, ensuring that crucial supplies reach healthcare facilities and patients promptly,” said John Vernon, chief technology officer of DroneUp.

DroneUp said its waiver allows it to immediately begin flying BVLOS for Riverside Health System, a customer with facilities spread throughout Virginia. According to the company, the approval will also clear a path for BVLOS deployments across the country with new and existing customers.

Two other Walmart drone delivery partners—Zipline and Wing, the drone delivery arm of Google parent Alphabet—have similarly expanded their BVLOS permissions as the massive retailer scales its network.

Wing is one of the first drone delivery firms to leverage what the FAA calls a summary grant. Essentially, these are streamlined authorizations for “copycat” companies with similar infrastructure, aircraft, and technology to those who have already been approved. Wing, for example, piggybacked off of Zipline’s BVLOS waiver.

Zipline, UPS Flight Forward, Phoenix Air Unmanned, and uAvionix were the four firms in the FAA’s initial cohort of BVLOS recipients named last year. The agency carefully selected each company in order to open summary grants to a variety of industries. Zipline’s waiver, for example, provides a framework for BVLOS medical drone delivery, while UPS Flight Forward’s does the same for parcel drone delivery.

DroneUp—like Zipline, Wing, and other waiver recipients—says its approval could substantially reduce operational costs by cutting down on required human resources. The authorization could also expand the firm’s operations: Humans will no longer be required to visually observe its drones, creating the potential for longer routes.

Waivers such as DroneUp’s will help the FAA learn more about BVLOS operations as the regulator works to develop a final BVLOS rule. So far, the agency has convened a committee of industry stakeholders and studied its final recommendations. But there is still no firm timeline for an official set of industrywide BVLOS regulations.

In lieu of a final rule, expect the FAA to continue issuing BVLOS waivers and summary grants, which will give certain communities a glimpse of what drone delivery may look like at scale. DroneUp and Walmart currently fly out of 36 hubs in seven states, so perhaps yours will be next.

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The company on Wednesday unveiled a new larger drone, which it said will be added to its fleet to “simplify and streamline” bigger orders. Wing will work with partners and regulatory stakeholders to introduce the unnamed model—which boasts double the payload of its predecessor—to service areas worldwide in the next 12 months.

The news follows Wing’s recent Dallas-Fort Worth expansion with Walmart, which the retailer claims to be the largest drone delivery expansion of any U.S. company. Wing began flying in DFW in 2022, partnering with Walmart in August to add service out of two regional Supercenters. Combined, the stores serve 60,000 homes.

The company also picked up new permissions from the FAA in December, allowing it to fly drones beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS) of the operator, without human observers on the ground. Only a handful of drone delivery providers have that approval, which can improve range and reduce costs by cutting down on human capital.

According to internal company data, 70 percent of Wing’s U.S. orders are delivered by a single aircraft. That means the remaining 30 percent, however, require two or more drones. The company’s revamped design is intended to address that issue.

“Think of it like how airlines operate different aircraft for different routes: This new aircraft will streamline our deliveries of larger orders,” said Adam Woodworth, CEO of Wing. “For example, you could order last-minute ingredients for dinner—pasta, marinara sauce, parmesan cheese, canned olives, and garlic.”

Wing’s larger design was borne out of its Aircraft Library approach, wherein engineers develop a variety of aircraft configurations that build on the core components of its flight-proven aircraft. This allows the firm to quickly adapt its design to meet needs identified in the market—such as a bigger drone.

The latest design shares much of its hardware and architecture with the drones comprising Wing’s fleet. These can carry up to 2.5 pounds on 12 sm (10 nm) flights, cruising at 65 mph (56 knots). The new drone maintains that range and speed but doubles the payload to 5 pounds, using the same standardized cardboard delivery box. It also keeps a hybrid aircraft configuration, which combines vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and precision hovering capability with fixed wings for cruise flight.

The updated model is also designed to work with the infrastructure and automation supporting the company’s current fleet, which comprise the Wing Delivery Network. Announced last year, the system aims to streamline deliveries by intelligently calculating routes, allocating drones based on demand, and flying fluidly between Wing hubs. 

It also introduces new technologies to simplify operations on the customer side, such as the Autoloader. In lieu of loading the aircraft themselves, store associates can simply leave packages to be picked up. Essentially, it’s curbside delivery for drones.

Crucially, Wing’s new drone won’t replace other aircraft within its fleet. Part of the Wing Delivery Network philosophy is using multiple aircraft for different mission profiles.

“It’s always been our vision to implement a multimodal drone delivery model, in the same way that ground delivery uses different vehicle sizes for different orders,” said Woodworth. “We’re committed to making that vision a reality so more shoppers can experience the convenience of drone delivery. With the new aircraft carrying more food, medicine, and household essentials, customers in urban and suburban areas will be able to bundle their orders better—and receive them in one quick trip.”

The introduction of a larger aircraft could add to Wing’s momentum. Outside of Zipline, which focuses primarily on medical deliveries (and is also partnered with Walmart), it boasts more deliveries than any other firm. By cutting back on the number of inefficient two-drone deliveries, that figure could rise even faster.

And while the new model has the same range as Wing’s other aircraft, the company’s entire fleet may soon fly farther. Before receiving FAA approval to remove visual observers, the firm was limited to 6 sm (5 nm) trips, which needed to be monitored continuously by human eyes. Now, computers can do the tracking, which should enable longer routes.

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China’s DJI, the market leader in consumer drones since 2015, this week announced that its recently unveiled FlyCart 30 model is now available globally. The company kicked off sales in China in August. But the international expansion marks its true entry into the drone delivery space.

Prior to last year, DJI made drones almost exclusively for hobbyists or industrial customers. Most of these are camera drones, equipped with features such as high-definition lenses and video recorders. Others are designed for surveillance and inspection, with thermal or infrared sensors, mapping software, and advanced communications systems.

Despite the Chinese government’s alleged involvement in DJI, the company’s ascent has largely been organic, fueled by its reputation for low cost, high quality products. Its drones have been used to film high-profile TV shows such as Game of Thrones, The Amazing Race, Better Call Saul, and American Ninja Warrior, and have developed a following among American users. They’ve also been discovered on the battlefield in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, often in modified forms.

DJI’s presence in the U.S. has drawn the ire of lawmakers, who have decried the company’s products as “TikTok with wings” and leveled accusations of spying, without concrete evidence. Bans at the federal and state levels have taken aim at it and other Chinese manufacturers. In December, lawmakers successfully included sweeping restrictions in the recently passed defense policy bill.

However, with the exception of a few states, the restrictions only hamper DJI at the federal level. American companies will still be able to purchase the buzzing aircraft, though the manufacturer will compete for business with established U.S. players such as Zipline and Google parent Alphabet’s Wing.

The Specs

DJI says FlyCart 30 can be deployed for a variety of use cases: last-mile delivery, mountain or offshore transportation, emergency rescue, agriculture, construction, surveying, and more. This week’s announcement did not list a price tag, but the model is on sale in China for $17,000.

FlyCart 30 is a multirotor design featuring eight blades connected by four shared axes. Carbon fiber propellers, powered by a pair of built-in-house batteries, provide lift. Measuring 9-by-10-by-3 feet, the model enters the market as one of the largest short-range delivery drones.

Despite its size, the drone tops out at about 45 mph (39 knots). With both batteries installed, it can carry a 30-kilogram (66 pound) payload over a distance of about 8.6 nm, remaining airborne for only 18 minutes. In emergency single-battery mode, the payload rises to 88 pounds but range is cut in half.

However, FlyCart 30 is more durable than the average delivery drone. It has an IP55 rating, meaning it protects against dust and moderate rain, and can fly in winds as fast as 27 mph. The drone can also operate in temperatures as high as 122 degrees or as low as minus-4 degrees Fahrenheit—its batteries heat themselves, maintaining performance even in the freezing cold.

In addition, the drone’s propellers are optimized to fly at up to 19,600 feet agl, or up to 9,800 agl with a 66-pound payload—far higher than the 400-foot altitude occupied by most delivery drones today. This will allow FlyCart 30 to serve China’s mountainous landscape and hard-to-reach locations in other countries.

For beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights, FlyCart 30 can communicate with a remote controller as far as 12 miles away. But its unique Dual Operator mode extends that range by allowing pilots to transfer control of the drone with the push of a button.

During flight, a suite of sensors and visual systems can detect obstacles in multiple directions, in all weather conditions, day or night. A built-in ADS-B receiver alerts crewed aircraft of the drone’s approach. And in case of emergency, an integrated parachute can deploy at low altitude for a soft landing—or the drone can automatically pick an alternate landing site.

FlyCart 30 comes in two configurations, both of which can fold down for transport in a “standard-sized vehicle.” In cargo mode, payloads are placed in a 70-liter case built from material commonly found in the reusable packaging industry. Capable of being installed or removed in under three minutes, the case includes weight and center of gravity sensors to prevent swaying in the air.

Customers can also opt for winch mode, which is ideal for deliveries to inconvenient landing sites. A winch crane can carry up to 88 pounds of cargo, releasing it automatically at the delivery location on a 65-foot cable. Augmented reality projection is used to guide the cable to the landing point.

A FlyCart 30 purchase comes with the aircraft, batteries, charging hub with cables, and DJI’s RC Plus remote controller. In addition, FlyCart can be linked with the company’s DeliveryHub software, which provides operation planning, status monitoring, team resource management, and data collection and analysis.

Viewable on the RC controller is Pilot 2, another software that displays real time information on flight status, cargo status, battery power level, and more. Pilot 2 also alerts operators of potential risks along the flight path and generates alternate landing points in the case of extreme weather or other abnormal conditions. From the controller, users can even view flights live through the drone’s first-person view gimbal camera.

The Outlook

DJI has held the pole position in consumer drones for nearly a decade. The company could continue to bring in billions of dollars in annual revenue by specializing in that area. But the launch of drone delivery signals the firm’s ambitions run deeper.

Rather than selling exclusively to individual hobbyists, DJI can now reach enterprise customers such as retailers or medical organizations. That segment is less susceptible to macroeconomic swings and could help the company stabilize revenue. Skydio, the largest consumer drone company in the U.S., recently shuttered its consumer business entirely, electing instead to pursue enterprise customers.

Working in DJI’s favor is its already established international network of dealers and customers. The firm has become a trusted brand in the consumer drone space, and many companies and organizations—which could become drone delivery customers—are already familiar with DJI systems and interfaces. Some of them already use the company’s other drones.

A potential concern, however, is FlyCart 30’s niche. The drone doesn’t fit neatly into a single category: its limited range and flight time suggest it will hone in on the last mile, but its size and weight make it better suited to deliver heavy cargo rather than food and groceries. Medical payloads could be a good fit (DJI has said as much) but the company would need to compete with Zipline, whose drones can fly 190 miles on a single charge. As of January, Zipline has completed nearly 900,000 deliveries worldwide.

In addition, FlyCart 30’s 143 pound empty weight with both batteries installed would exceed the FAA’s limits for small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS). To fly in the U.S., DJI would require type certification or an exemption to Section 44807 of Title 49 of U.S. Code. The European Union and New Zealand, two other emerging drone delivery markets, have similar rules.

DJI may be able to overcome those restrictions in other foreign countries, but breaking into the U.S. market could be challenging. For years, American lawmakers have targeted it and other Chinese manufacturers with bans, though these only restrict the technology at the federal level. However, a few states have already shown willingness to pass their own bans.

Further, U.S. lawmakers are pushing legislation that would extend DJI bans to the consumer level, restricting hobbyists and potentially even businesses from flying the drones. But DJI has made one thing very clear: Global scale, not regional, is the objective.

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Walmart—which uses drones from partners such as Zipline and Wing to deliver within minutes to customers nationwide—on Tuesday said it would add 1.8 million households to its Dallas-Fort Worth service area, which will soon cover three-quarters of the area’s population. According to the retailer, no U.S. company has offered drone delivery to as many households in a single market.

The expansion adds stores in 30 towns and municipalities to Walmart’s existing Dallas-Fort Worth service, which itself is part of a network spanning nearly 40 hubs in seven states. 

Zipline and Wing, both of which were recently approved by the FAA to fly their drones beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS) of a visual observer, will power the deliveries. The companies’ new permissions—part of an FAA push to grow the industry within the U.S.—will allow them to fly further than previously permitted.

“Customers will have access to a broad assortment of items from Walmart available for delivery to their home in just minutes,” said Prathibha Rajashekhar, senior vice president of innovation and automation for Walmart U.S. “Drone delivery is not just a concept of the future, it’s happening now and will soon be a reality for millions of additional Texans.”

Walmart said Dallas-Fort Worth customers can expect the buzzing aircraft to arrive in as little as 10 minutes but no more than 30. Across two years of trials, the retailer has completed more than 20,000 deliveries of items such as snacks, beverages, and cold medicines, including fragile cargo such as eggs. Thousands of items are eligible for drone delivery, but customers must be within 10 miles of a store offering the service.

With the expansion, Dallas-Fort Worth is shaping up to be Walmart’s largest U.S. drone delivery market initially. But the retailer has an additional 4,700 stores located within 10 miles of 90 percent of the U.S. population, adding plenty of room for scale when the time comes.

Zipline, which has worked with Walmart since 2021, is actually the world’s largest drone delivery provider by sheer volume. The company has flown more than 60 million commercial miles, completing 880,000 deliveries in the process. Wing, which ranks second on the list, has made about 350,000 deliveries, according to its website.

Tuesday’s announcement added more food and convenience delivery to Zipline’s profile, which largely comprises medical shipments of blood, vaccines, and other critical cargo. The company said the expansion will allow it to serve 1,000 times as many Walmart customers. For the past two years, it’s delivered from a store in Arkansas, where it says customers now perceive operations as “totally normal.”

By the time Zipline and Walmart begin an operational pilot later this year, the company expects to have completed tens of thousands of trials with Platform 2 (P2), its next-generation delivery system. 

Among other things, P2 will introduce a modified drone, docking, charging, and delivery infrastructure for businesses, and an autonomous droid capable of guiding packages to spaces as small as a patio table. It aims to automate more tasks for customers and enable more precise drop-offs than the company’s existing system, which uses a parachute.

P2 is expected to roll out across the U.S. this year—including in Dallas-Fort Worth following pilot flights with Walmart.

“Autonomous delivery is finally ready for national scale in the U.S.” said Keller Rinaudo Cliffton, co-founder and CEO of Zipline. “Zipline is excited to enable Walmart’s vision of providing customer delivery so fast it feels like teleportation…We’re excited for folks across Dallas-Fort Worth to experience delivery that is seven times as fast, zero emissions, and whisper quiet.”

Like Zipline, Wing, a subsidiary of Google parent Alphabet, has spent the past few years developing its U.S. network with Walmart.

The company has four years of commercial residential service under its belt, including more than a year and a half in DFW. Those operations recently ramped up with deliveries out of two Walmart Supercenters in the suburbs of Frisco and Lewisville, reaching a combined 60,000 households. Wing expects its next expansion to be completed within the year and add “millions” of customers.

In four months of service in Dallas-Fort Worth with Walmart, customers have been clamoring for more, with the top 25 percent of customers ordering twice per week on average, Wing said. Sustainability is a proposition to customers, but so is speed—the company’s drones typically spend just five minutes in the air during a delivery.

Now, range could become a selling point. With its recent FAA approval, Wing can expand its delivery zone beyond the previously enforced 6-mile radius. That means each of its delivery sites will be able to reach more customers.

“Our first few months delivering to Walmart customers have made it clear: Demand for drone delivery is real,” said Wing CEO Adam Woodworth. “The response has been incredible from customers ordering drone delivery from Walmart every day, and it’s a testament to our partnership that we’re now expanding our footprint to bring this innovative delivery option to millions of Texans. If this milestone is any indication, we believe 2024 is the year of drone delivery.”

Zipline and Wing were among the first U.S. firms to receive FAA Part 135 air carrier approval, which allows them to fly drones commercially. Only five companies in the space have those permissions, with the others being Amazon Prime Air, UPS Flight Forward, and Causey Aviation Unmanned, the partner of another Walmart collaborator, Israeli manufacturer Flytrex.

Drone delivery has not quite reached the mass adoption phase. But with Walmart’s massive expansion, that point is beginning to enter focus.

The key to scale will be the finalization of drone delivery regulations, which are still being developed. The FAA, for example, has proposed final rules for BVLOS operations and is coordinating with industry stakeholders to get it on the books. Until that happens, companies will need to rely on waivers like Zipline or Wing’s to start flying.

Those early operations—Walmart’s among them—will help the FAA learn what restrictions may need to be added, removed, or modified. In the meantime, less established competitors will continue to languish under heavy limitations. But the hope is that Walmart, Zipline, and Wing can give the FAA the confidence to open things up for the rest of the industry.

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Now for this week’s top story:

The U.S. Government Launched a Secret Robot Spaceplane

What happened? Well…we don’t quite know. Last week, the U.S. Space Force sent a mysterious spaceplane called X-37B on its seventh mission. The Boeing-built orbital test vehicle’s (OTV) purpose, payload, and final destination are all unknown. But this launch used a powerful SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, fueling speculation it could be headed for deep orbit.

What we know: Boeing’s Phantom Works, notable for cutting-edge designs such as the A160 Hummingbird, has been developing X-37B for decades. The manufacturer says the reusable design—which resembles a school bus-sized NASA space shuttle—is built to fly in low Earth orbit (LEO) using technologies never before seen in spaceflight, such as automated de-orbiting.

Government agencies have been tight-lipped about the objectives of X-37B, which can evade detection using techniques, such as “hiding” in the sun’s glare. Speculation on its purpose has ranged from spying technology to a weapons delivery system. The government has denied the latter, saying only that it will conduct tests and prepare the U.S. for future space activity.

To infinity and beyond? X-37B won’t travel the galaxy, but some observers think it could reach the moon. That’s because the seventh launch was the spaceplane’s first aboard Falcon Heavy, one of the world’s most powerful launch vehicles. Its first five missions flew on United Launch Alliance Atlas V rockets, and its sixth on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 booster.

Those journeys were constrained to below 1,200 miles in altitude. But Falcon Heavy can reach 22,000 miles, leading some to believe X-37B will at minimum head to deep orbit. Each of the spaceplane’s missions has been longer than its last, with the most recent jaunt spanning a record 908 days. If that’s any indication, the seventh mission could last years.

Quick quote: “The X-37B government and Boeing teams have worked together to produce a more responsive, flexible, and adaptive experimentation platform. The work they’ve done to streamline processes and adapt evolving technologies will help our nation learn a tremendous amount about operating in and returning from a space environment,” said William Bailey, director of the U.S. Air Force’s Rapid Capabilities Office.

My take: Exactly what the Space Force is up to is anyone’s guess. But it may be worth keeping an eye on, considering China is working on a similar project that also launched this month.

General B. Chance Saltzman, chief of space operations for the Space Force, has hinted X-37B’s seventh launch could be its last. China, however, is just ramping up its Shenlong “Divine Dragon” project, which in December set out on its third mission since 2020. There are no photos of the secretive spacecraft, but it’s thought to resemble the X-37B. A few weeks ago, it reportedly deployed six mysterious objects into orbit.

Some, including Saltzman, have implied the initiatives are similar because of the timing of the two launches. If not for delays, X-37B would have launched three days before Shenlong. Perhaps that planned date was not a coincidence.

Deep dive: U.S. Space Force’s Secret Robot Spaceplane Could be Headed to Deep Orbit

In Other News…

Rocket Lab Signs $515 Million Satellite Contract with Mystery Government Agency

What happened? Thought one mystery was enough? How about another? Rocket Lab, which trailed only SpaceX in launches this past year, will design, manufacture, deliver, and operate 18 “space vehicles” for an unnamed U.S. government agency, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. The deal—which could extend as far as 2033—calls for deliveries and operations to begin in 2027.

Case cracked? Several reports speculate that Rocket Lab’s mystery customer is the Space Development Agency (SDA), a unit within the Space Force. In particular, comments from SDA director Derek Tournear regarding the agency’s need for 18 additional satellites have been linked to Rocket Lab’s contract, which calls for that same figure.

Tournear’s words are by no means conclusive evidence, but Rocket Lab and SDA have collaborated on satellite systems in the past. Subtly, the company’s Space Systems unit—which produces satellite components, such as radios and solar panels—has actually outperformed its launch business in recent months, adding to the appeal of a potential SDA partnership.

Deep dive: Rocket Lab Signs $515M Satellite Contract With Mystery Government Agency

Alphabet Drone Delivery Arm Wing Adds Second Texas Walmart Location

What happened? Wing, the largest consumer drone delivery provider in the world by deliveries made, expanded its presence in the Dallas-Fort Worth area by adding a Walmart Supercenter in the suburb of Lewisville to its network. It’s the second Walmart store the company has modified for services in the region, following an inaugural site in Frisco that launched in September.

Everything’s bigger in Texas: If the old adage holds true, that includes Wing’s delivery network. By now, a handful of DFW residents are familiar with the service, whether they’ve used it themselves or watched the buzzing aircraft fly overhead. But with the addition of a second Walmart site, the company says it can now serve 60,000 people.

To see Wing’s service in action for yourself, check out our on-site coverage earlier this year. But for those in a time crunch, the gist is that the drones load orders, fly as far as 6 miles, and deliver within 30 minutes—entirely on their own. Flights are monitored remotely from hundreds of miles away, and on-site staff essentially have one job: place payloads beneath the drones.

Deep Dive: Walmart-Google Linkup Adds Drone Delivery to 60,000 Households

And a Few More Headlines:

• Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft manufacturer Horizon Aircraft expects to go public in the coming weeks.

• Another eVTOL manufacturer, Hyundai’s Supernal, plans to unveil its latest design at CES 2024 next week.

• Russian forces launched a “record” number of drones at Ukraine in the early hours of the new year.

• The U.S. Navy is soliciting proposals for systems to counter “cross-domain” drone attacks.

• FBO operator Jet Aviation partnered with World Fuel Services to sell SAF out of two more sites.

On the Horizon…

In lieu of the typical weekly roundup of modern flying developments, let’s ring in the new year with a few predictions for 2024.

American-made drones will have a banner year. On the defense side of things, U.S. manufacturers should benefit from the recently approved spending bill, which includes language that would ban the purchase or use of drones made in China—and other nations considered hostile to U.S. interests—at the federal level. Considering Chinese DJI drones are near-ubiquitous in government agencies, American companies could get a lift.

U.S. drone delivery firms are also poised for a big year as the FAA introduces beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) summary grants. Wing and Amazon Prime Air have already won the approvals, which are streamlined authorizations based on four waivers the regulator awarded last year. The looming enforcement of remote ID rules and BVLOS provisions contained in the pending FAA reauthorization bill will only add fuel to the industry’s fire.

The FAA reauthorization bill also places emphasis on U.S. leadership of advanced air mobility (AAM) services, such as air taxi routes to and from airports. The first batch of personal eVTOL designs could arrive next year, with companies such as Jetson and Pivotal planning to open sales. Outside the U.S., eVTOL air taxis from Volocopter and EHang are expected to begin flying paying customers.

SMG Consulting, which releases a monthly ranking of AAM manufacturers in its AAM Reality Index, also has a few predictions for the industry. Among other forecasts, the firm expects Joby to begin for-credit flight testing, the FAA and European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to finalize eVTOL regulations, and the first certified vertiport to open for cargo operations. It also predicts a top 10 AAM manufacturer will be snapped up by a legacy aerospace firm.

Mark Your Calendars

Each week, I’ll be running through a list of upcoming industry events. The FAA Drone Symposium and Advanced Air Mobility Summit wrapped up Thursday in Baltimore, but here are a few conferences to keep an eye on:

• CES 2024—January 9-12 in Las Vegas
• 11th Annual eVTOL Symposium—February 6-8 in Silicon Valley, California
• Drone Show Korea 2024—March 6-8 in Busan, South Korea
• World’s Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Conference—March 17-19 in Jerusalem
• AUVSI Xponential 2024—April 22-25 in San Diego 
• Vertical Flight Society’s Forum 80—May 7-9 in Montreal

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